In 2022, SEO will be more important than ever. Google’s search engine has become increasingly sophisticated in recognizing quality content and what their users really require. As SEO ranking becomes ever more competitive, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to produce content that is both of a high quality and relevant to the consumer. In planning your SEO strategy, let’s take a look at 8 SEO trends that will have a greater impact for companies in the coming year.
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1. New AI trends in SEO
AI will have much more impact in 2022 as new technology continues to increase rapidly. Companies such as Microsoft and Google have already recognised the potential AI has to offer. AI systems such as Google’s Bert will have more significance in SEO. ‘Bert will impact 1 in 10 of all search queries’ Google has stated. AI gives increased opportunities for effectiveness and efficiency in SEO. Through machine learning and language processing, AI can process SEO much faster and more reliably than humans. Marketers will need to invest in and leverage AI SEO to scale their operations and keep up with competitors. Good news is, whether you invest inhouse or hire an AI agency, prices are set to drop as usage becomes more widespread.
2. Optimizing SEO with intent
Intent related keywords will have more importance as Google rewrites meta title tags with the aid of Bert. Google is focused on identifying the intent behind users’ searches. Savvy companies are using a mix of journalist written content and AI-intelligence augmentation to improve their ranking. PR companies would do well to follow suit and drill deeper to produce an intent-based content plan with intent keywords when considering users’ searches and Google rankings. Keywords that concentrate on the subtle nuance and context of users’ intent are likely to rank higher with Google.
3. Google EAT
PR companies should produce quality content that meets Google EAT principles. Expertise, authority and trustworthiness are important to gain high rankings. Google has specifically stated that more relevant content will lead to higher rankings. Companies should follow Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines to improve their SEO. Including author names, bios and contact details in pages helps to raise rankings. A good reputation, with proof of expertise, will rank highly. While a reputation for misinformation will lead to the lowest rankings. Connecting with your audience and social media profiles in an authentic way will also raise your ratings. A higher level of EAT in SEO content and online PR content will be necessary to gain higher rankings.
4. Optimizing SEO video content
A good SEO strategy plan must include optimized video content. Videos are becoming increasingly important for influencing consumers, whether they are embedded in your website, or on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Users’ love video searches and savvy companies are leaping on board with increasing video content. This helps them to expand their reach, engage more with consumers and drive more traffic their way. Consumers tend to stay longer on pages that have videos, which causes search engines to rate them as having higher value and so to rank them higher. Search engines also rank multimedia sites as being more informative and having higher value. And videos lead to backlinks which also help with rankings. Videos should have subtitles for enhanced accessibility, which also ranks higher. Video is now one of the most important forms of SEO optimization and this trend looks set to continue in 2022.
5. SEO voice search
Voice searches will become an increasingly popular trend with consumers in 2022. Virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri have encouraged consumers to interact verbally with their devices. Voice searches employ a different set of SEO protocols. Companies will need to optimize for voice searches in 2022. FAQ pages rank higher in voice search so make sure yours are optimized. Clear and concise questions and answers can gain you higher rankings.
6. Localized content and SEO
Consumers are increasingly searching for localized content and this trend is set to have even more impact in 2022. Indications show Google is set to prioritize local content. Indeed, localized content is already outranking those with a global focus. This trend is set to continue. Create local specialized pages, such as SEO service UK, and localized content for enhanced accessibility. Ensuring your localized information is up-to-date will optimize ranking.
7. Authentic images for SEO
In 2022, SEO images and visual content need to be unique to capture consumers’ interest. Stock images no longer rank highly. Both consumers and Google now trend towards original imagery. Consumers have grown jaded with old, recycled stock images and staged images and will click away quickly. Users want to see unique lifestyle images, rather than tired, reused content. Consumers want original and authentic rather than staged. Images should also be relevant to the topic. Unique, original images will intrigue consumers and encourage them to stay on your page longer and read through the rest of your content, thereby increasing your SEO ranking. Ensure all images have ALT tags to rank for enhanced accessibility.
8. SEO mobile friendly
In 2022, webpages will need to be even more mobile friendly. Consumers increasingly employ mobile phones for web searches. According to Statista, mobile searches accounted for 60% of searches in 2021. Since Google also ranks on how mobile friendly your webpages are, it is imperative that your SEO is mobile friendly. Mobile page experiences are set to become ever more sophisticated in the future. Jori Ford, Chief Marketing Officer at FoodBoss, states that ‘’the entirety of the mobile experience from the discovery aspect all the way through to how easily users can interact, engage, and utilize will come together just as content experience has over the past few years.” Google has a simple tool to test how mobile friendly your webpages are. If you’re not already utilizing it, try it out now.
Google algorithms are frequently changing as new AI technology is developed and implemented. Consumer patterns change and grow more sophisticated. It is necessary that companies stay vigilant and keep up-to-date with new trends to remain in top ranking. These 8 ultimate SEO trends will help your company to maintain and even increase its ranking in 2022.
